A Shout Out to Lisa Marie Johnson on her 42nd Birthday

By Chris Henry
chenry@kitsapsun.com
MANCHESTER
In February, 2007,
Lisa Johnson of Manchester was diagnosed with stage four breast
cancer, an invasive form of the disease in which malignant cells
had spread to other organs in her body. Despite aggressive
treatment over the past two years, the cancer has progressed. Lisa
is now receiving Hospice care for comfort and pursuing quality of
life, to the best of her ability, in each day, according to her
mother Sharon Ewing of Bremerton.
When Lisa and her husband Steve were first married, they had a
low-key, low-budget ceremony. On Valentine’s Day, 2009, family,
friends and coworkers helped Lisa and Steve celebrate 20 years of
marriage with the “dream” wedding they’d always wanted. Daughters
Amanda, 20, Kayla, 19, and Judy, 16 were bridesmaids.
Now those same folks are pulling together to help raise funds for
funeral arrangements Lisa has requested.
A spaghetti dinner and auction to benefit the Lisa Marie Johnson
Funeral Fund is planned for 5 to 9 p.m. Dec. 11 at Seabeck
Conference Center, 15395 NW Seabeck Highway. This family-style,
sit-down dinner features music by Swing Fever and pictures with
Santa.
Many local businesses have pitched in to help with supplies and
auction items, such as wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres for 10 from
Hoodsport Winery and a necklace from Chrey’s Jewelers of
Bremerton.
When I wrote about Lisa and Steve in February, I was struck by
their love for each other, which I described as a palpable
presence. The other remarkable layers of the story were their
girls, who have risen to the family’s challenge with grace and
maturity, and the community response, a group effort that went and
continues to go above and beyond.
On a recent night, I was driving back from Oregon after dropping my
daughter at college. Scanning the radio dial for some diversion, I
heard an Oregon Public Radio Broadcast about a
woman who is a chaplain to the Maine Game Warden Service. Kate
Braestrup, who lost her own husband in a tragic accident, “is
called in when children disappear in the woods or when snowmobilers
disappear under the ice.”
Braestrup talked about our inclination to try and reconcile the
most excruciating experiences life dishes out with the exquisite
beauty of human interaction in times of crisis. Through her
experiences with tragedy, she has learned to let them coexist, side
by side, without explanation or moral. As host Krista Tippett said,
Braestrup is, “a doer whose sense of God emerges from what happens
between and among people.”
Our thoughts are with the Johnson family, with a special shout out
to Lisa whose 42nd birthday is Friday (Dec. 4).
Tickets to the dinner-auction are $10 per person, $5 for children
under 12, $25 per family of four and $5 for each additional family
member.
A benevolent fund has been established at Kitsap Bank; designate
donations to the Lisa M. Johnson Fund.